Pakistan, ranked 141 of 182 on the United Nations Human Poverty Index, faces complex development challenges and is characterized by major inequalities in income and access to basic services. A high proportion of people in Pakistan live in slums and the country is facing rapid, sustained slum growth rates. Urgent action is required to slow down or reverse these trends. A significant proportion of Pakistan’s population lack access to basic infrastructure (90% of the population has access to improved water, and only 45% to improved sanitation), and suffers from ill health and illiteracy, with 60% living on less than two US dollars a day.